Vending machine



l June 3 1941- c. vfARDr-:TE

v VENDING MACHINE Filed Sent. '1, 19:57 v

al'ented .une 3, i941 'ainsi UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE VENDING MACHINE Carl V. Tardete, Jamestown, N. Y.

Application September 7, 1937, Serial No.'l62,805

`(-Cl. S12-78) 5 Claims.`

This invention relates to 'a vending machine and particularly aims to provide a novel construction to simultaneously vend an article or commodity with an accessory, particularly a cigarette or cigar and a match, although the invention is not so limited because it may be used with or without the vending of the accessory.

It is an object to provide such a machine having a novel vending mechanism to dispense one article at a time, and a novel coin-controlled operating means for the'vending mechanism.

The more specific objects and advantages will in part be pointed out hereinafter and other wise become apparent from a consideration of the following specification taken in connection with accompanying drawings, illustrating one opera- ,tive embodiment by Way of example.

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a view of the improved vending :machine in perspective and partly broken away;

Figure 2 is a front elevation, partly in vertical section, to disclose details;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the outer front panel;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the operating knob for the main or operating shaft;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional View through the machine taken at a right angle to Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a perspective View of the front wall of the cabinet and parts mounted thereby;

Figure '7 is a detail perspective View of the ejector device;

Figure 8 is a cross section taken on the plane of line 8-8 of Figure 6;

Figure 9 is a detail fragmentary perspective view of a modiedfform;

Figure 10 is a detail perspective of a second modied form, and

Figure 11 is a perspective view 'of an electric lighter which may be employed for the dispensed cigarettes or cigars.

Referring specifically to the drawings `where-- in like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts in the different views, and rst to Figures 1 to 8, a suitable cabinet is provided at I having a hopper II at the top thereof which is adapted to contain the cigarettes, `cigars or other articles or commodities to be dispensed, the same being shown at I2 and disposed in parallelism. Said cabinet includes a base wall I3, rear wall I4, side walls I and a front wall I6, held together in any suitable way and preferably .by angle strips II and screws or other fastenings I8.

Said hopper II may be of `any desired construction having walls or `panels disposedlin continuation of the front, side and rear walls of the cabinet as at I9, secured in place by bars 26 and 2| at the bottom and top, respectively, and by angle strips 22 and screws or other fastenings 23. Said hopper walls or panels are designated I9 and may be made of any suitable material, for instance metal or glass, or be composite, and they may be finished or ornamented in any suitable manner. Said hopper has a displacement closure 24 at the top thereof adapted to be locked in place at 25, which covers the opening through which the articles l2 are supplied from time to time.

At the bottom of the hopper Il, is a forwardly and downwardly inclined wall which guides the article I2 toward Vending position. Behind the front bar 2b, a channel member or chute 26 is fastened, the same being generally rectangular and closed except at the bottom and at an opening or slot 2'I in the front Wall thereof through which the articles I2, one at a time, are vended or discharged, such article rolling or depositing in a trough 28 extending forwardly from and `integral with the front wall' I6 at the top thereof. A hood 29.is carried by the channel member c-r chute complementally to the trough 28.

The bottom Wall 3i) of the hopper terminates Vshort of the wall I6 in a depending ange 3I between which and wall I, an ejector 32 is guided for sliding movement into and out of the channel member or chute 2G. -A governor blade 33 is rigid with a rod 34 pivotally disposed transversely on the rear wall of the channel member or chute 26, journalled in the walls I5 and provided with a depending arm V35. A shield 36 is carried by the vhopper II to prevent undue crowding of the articles I2 `against the governor blade 33. Such governor blade 33 Vhas its lower edge so arranged and proportioned with respect to the forwardly inclined bottom wall 3l! that normally the space Atherebetween is insufficient for an article i2 to pass The aforesaid arm 35, in a manner hereinafter specifically described is adapted to be rocked through the movement of the ejector 32 to swing the arm 33 rearwardly and only sufciently to provide a sufficient space or pass for a single article I2 to roll forwardly to the position lof Figure 5 Vinto Contact with wall I6, on

top of the ejector 32 and in line with the channel `member or chute 26.

Said ejector 32 is detailed in Figure?. It may operating shaft 44 and enmeshed with the teeth Y Y of rack bar 39 so that the ejector 32' may be raised for a vending or ejecting operation.

Behind the circular head or disk 45, integral therewith or otherwise rigid with the same and operating shaft, is a control disk or plate'49, forming part of coin-controlling means.` In the retracted or normal position of the parts as shown in the drawings, a projection 59 on disk 49 abuts a stop pin 56. A coin or token is adapted to be deposited through a slot 51 in an outer front panel 58, detailed in Figure 3, and removably fastened at 59 to wall I6, and preferably overlapped by adjacent angle members I1. Panel 58 has an opening 69 in which the head 45 is journalled and it also has an inwardly extending coin guide or deflector 5i. A coin deposited through slot 51 falls into the space between plate x i8 and panel 59 onto the disk 49, partly behind the head 45 and infront of projection 59.

In the said position, the deposited coin abuts an arm 9i of a detent 62 having a vertical shaft 93 (Figs. 6 and 8) journalled in brackets 64 or the equivalent on plate i5. Said shaft also carries an arm 95 and the arms 8i' and 55 are rigid with shaft 93 and arm 85 has an extension 65 whereby detent 92 is urged by a leaf spring structure 66 fastened to wall or plate I6 into detaining position through slots 61 and 58, respectively, of wall or plate I6. Arm B5 in its normal or detaining position is disposed in a slot 69 in the periphery of control vdisk 49 so that the shaft 63 cannot he sufciently turned to Vend an article in the absence of the deposit of a coin into slot 51. When a coin C is deposited, it will bridge the space between the projection 59 and the detent arm 5i', so that rotation of the operating shaft 44 will displace the arm 9|', rocking the detent shaft 63, withdrawing the detent arm E5 from the slot 69, thus permitting rotation of the operating shaft and parts until a projection 191 on said plate or disk 49 engages an abutment or pin 1I on plate i6, which movement effects a vending operation. The parts being released after the vending operation, return automatically to retracted or normal position under the urgency of spring 4I and spring device 36, the edge portion 12 of plate or disk 49 preventing return of the arm 95 to normal position until the slot 69 returns into registry with arm 95.

The coins fall into the cabinet, guided by the deflector 9i and are removable from time to time through a conventional, key-controlled closure ette, cigar, or other article l2, an accessory, for

instance a match 14, is discharged through the movement of the ejector 32 and from a hopper or equivalent means 15 located at any desired wall of the cabinet I9, the ejector being shaped according to the position of mounting of such hopper 15. In Figures 1 to 7, such hopper is carried by one of the side walls l5 and an angle arm 16 is provided on the plate 31 of the ejector, as shown in Figure '7, which carries an ejector head 11. Angle arm 19 is vertically movable in a slot in the adjacent side wall l5 so that the ejector head 13 may move vertically in the match hopper 15. Normally the upper surface of head '13 is aligned with the bottom wall 19 of hopper 15 and since both are at the same inclination, upward movement of the head 18 carries a match 14 into line with a discharge slot 88 in the front wall of the hopper, into which the match rolls andiscaught in a trough 8l on such hopper. Said hopper 15 may be lled at the top where a displaceable closure 82 is located and which may be under lock and key if desired.

Briefly the operation of the machine is as follows: A coin ofpredeterrnined size is deposited in the slot 51 and it travels into contact with the upper edge of plate 49 between projection 58 and arm 6 l Thereupon, knob 41 is turned clockwise and correspondingly turns operating shaft 44, during which movement, said coin displaces the arm 8l which rocks shaft 63 and arm 95 thereon, which withdraws the latter from slot 99 of the control plate or disk 49, movement of the shaft 44 and control plate 49 being limited by engagement of projection 19 on the latter with the abutment pin 1I. During such partial Vrotation of the shaft 44, the segmental gear 48 thereon through its coaction with the rack bar 39 raises the ejector 32, thus ejecting the article I2 engaged on the rest 38 thereof, through slot 21 of the channel member 29, onto trough 28 lfor removal. As the ejector 32 ascends, arm 35 moves inwardly at its lower edge through contact of arm 13 on the ejector, swinging the blade 33 inwardly just enough to enable another article .l2 to roll under it and into contact with the -on arm 16 moves upwardly through hopper 15 and is of s uch width as to elevate one vmatch 14 only which falls therefrom through a slot 89 onto a trough 8| for removal. i

It is to be understood that various changes may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of the :nvention. For instance, the modified form of Figure 9 may be employed. Here, the cabinet is designated 82, having a hopper 83, with a channel member 84 at the front thereof, beneath Vwhich the articles i2 roll, one at a time, on bottom wall 39 controlled by a blade such as 33 andassociated mechanism as in the rst form. Such articles fall into a tray or trough 85 of a roller 95 pivoted by means of trunnions 81 in-wa1ls of the cabinet. The roller 8B is normally in the position of Figure 9 resting on the uppersurfaces of rods 81a carried by a bar 88 at the top of arack bar 39' similar to that at 39. Y Otherwise the structure is the same as that of the preceding figures or as modified in Figure 10. As the ejector raises in this form of Figure 9 following coin operation as hereinbefore set forth, rods 81 swing the roller so as to move trough B5 forwardly, which ejects the article i2 into a trough (not shown) like that at 28, the Wide surface of the roller preventing another article !2 from rolling into engagement with the trough 65 until it returns by gravity to retracted position, following retraction of the ejector.

Another modication is suggested in Figure 10. The ejector mechanism for the article and its accessory are modified so that the article will be ejected into a trough 89 and the accessory will be ejected into a trough Si). Said troughs 89 and 90 are inset within the cabinet here designated I and through a side wall at openings 9| and 92, they communicate with trays or supports 83 and 94, respectively. Each trough 89 and 90 has a slot 95 and 95 through its wall, in which an ejecting lever 91 is movable. Such lever 9'! is pivoted at 98 to the cabinet Id and is engageable by a vertically movable arm 99 of a slide rod IGI), loosely disposed in a tube lill on the cabinet lil". A suitable part of the operating means carries a projection or cam H32 which engages the said arm S3. Thus, when the operating means is turned following deposit of a coin, cam |82 raises arm 99 and rod Ibi), the arm swinging lever 91 in the slots 95 and S and partially ejecting or extending the article and accessory into the troughs or supports S3 and 9d. It will be understood that the machine of Figure l0, except as specically described, is constructed as in the form of Figures 1 to 7 or Figure 9.

In any form of the invention, a suitable counter may be employed. One is suggested at |93 in Figure 5 which is conventional and operable by an arm or crank IM on the operating shaft 44.

Also, any form of the invention may dispense with the feature of vending a match or other accessory in which event, an electric igniter IE5 as in Figure 11 of conventional form, may be separably connected in any desired circuit, and supported on the cabinet of the machine or adjacent thereto, as preferred.

I claim as my invention:

1 In a vending machine, a hopper having an inclined discharge wall, a channel member at the front of the hopper spaced above said wall so that articles may discharge beneath the channel member, an ejector having its upper edge disposed to receive an article from the discharge Wall to be ejected. said channel member having a discharge opening, and means operable to raise the ejector so that the article will register with the opening and discharge therethrough.

2. In a vending machine according to claim 1, a blade pivoted on said channel member to normally prevent discharge of articles beneath the latter, and means operable by the ejector to move said blade to periodically enable an article to pass f the same.

3. In a vending machine according to claim 1, a blade pivoted adjacent the base of the channel member and having a depending arm, the inclined discharge wall having a depending flange at its forward end behind which the ejector operates, the upper edge of the ejector being inclined similarly to said wall, a projection on the ejector coacting with said depending arm to operate the blade, and retractile spring means for the ejector.

4. In a vending machine, a front wall, a channel member open at its bottom and having a discharge opening above said bottom, means to support the channel member above the front wall, an inclined wall to feed articles to be vended, an ejector operable behind said front wall to receive the articles from the inclined wall and raise the articles through the channel member into position to discharge through said opening, an operating shaft for the ejector extending through said wall, a head on said shaft, and an exterior panel secured to said wall having an opening in which said head is journaled.

5. In a vending machine according to claim 4, an exterior trough on said front wall at the base of the first mentioned opening, and an exterior hood on the channel member above the first mentioned opening disposed over the trough.

CARL V. TAB/BETE. 

